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' 2 Sheets$hee1 1.

(No Model.) L-. D. 'HURD.

RUNNING GEAR. FOR WAGONS.

Patented Aug. 21'

Nor 283,712.

'INVBNTOR: Gin

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

N mzus Nomiimam WahTnm nu;

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

L. D; HU-RD.

RUNNING GEAR FOR WAGONS. N 0."283,'7l2. Patented Aug. 21, .1883.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

' ATTORNEYS.

N. PCIERS PhabLhInlrAph-r. Walhin tm D. I;

UNITED STATES Lonnnzo 7o. HURD, on cannon, Assrenon or onnTnrnn To- JOSEPH o.

PATE T OFFIcE.

sanrson, or ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

RUNNING-GEAR FOR WAGONS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 283,712, dated August 21, 1883.

Application filed March 20, 1883.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LORENZO D. HURD, of

. Gandor, in the county of Tioga and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Yvagons, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

. Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

. in which similar letters of reference indicate tongue and its frame.

corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a sectional side elevation-of the forward part of a wagon to which my improvement has been applied. Fig. 2,

Sheet 1, is a front elevation of the same, the 7 to release the said firth-wheel and axle by a foot-leverprovided with a cross-headfoot To the axle is hinged a curved bar, which is notched to receive the tongue, is held up by a spring, and is raised to engage with thetongue and rigidly connect the tongue with the axle by the locking-lever, when operated to release the fifth-wheel and axle. The tongue is connected with the axlea-nd king-bolt by keepers connected by bars having a perforated plate at their rear end, so that the draft will be in a direct line with the whiffletrees. The tonguerecessed to receive the hammer-strap and plate is made with a solid projection, which is brace-rod. The fralne hinged to the tongue is coupled with the ends of arms formed upon the axle-arms by bolts and nuts to allow the gather of the forward wheels to be readily regulated, as will be hereinafter fully described;

A represents the bottom of the wagon-body, with which is connected, by suitable supports, B, the stationary part 0 of the fifth-wheel. The upperpart, O, of the fifth-whecl rests upon the movable part D, which is attached to the axle E. and is strengthened in position by the inclined braces F, attached to it and to the (No model.)

lower corners of the said axle, and by crossbars G, attached to it and to the said axle. The axle E is made in the form of a frame, andhas arms E upon the upper and lower corners of its ends, to which are attached the ends of 'vertical rods or bolts H.

Upon the rods Hare placed sockets 1, formed upon the inner parts of the arms J, upon. the journals of which the forward wheels, K, re volve. The sockets I are made shorter than the spaces between the arms E, and between the upper ends of the said sockets and the upper arms E are placed spiral or other springs, L, which sustain the load in the forward part of the wagon-body.

Upon the forward sides of the axle-arms J are formed forwardly-projecting arms M, to the outer ends of which are hinged the slotted outerends of the connectingbolts N. The inner part'sof the bolts N pass through holes in in the ends of the swinging frame 0, and have screw-threads formed upon them to receive the nuts .-which are placed between the outer parts of the top and bottom bars of the said frame 0, and are thus held from turning; With this construction, by disconnecting the outer ends of the bolts N the said bolts can be turned into or out of the nuts P, so as,when again attached to the arms N, to bring the said arms closer together or farther apart, and thus regulate the gather of the wheels K. The top and bottom bars of the frame 0 are pivoted at their centers to the upper. and lower ends of the keeper Q, through which the tongue R passes.

Upon the upper parts of the forward edges of the side bars ofthe keeper Q are formed lugs, which areperforated to receive the bolt S, which passes through a projection, T, formed upon the strap U, attached to the upper side of the tongue R, to hinge the said tongue to the said keeper.

- x In theforward side of the projection T is formed a recess, in which is secured, by a bolt or rivet, V, the rear end of the hammer-strap W.

In a slot in the upper side of the projection T is inserted the end of a. brace-rod, X, which is secured in place by the bolt S. The rear. end of the brace X has an eye formed in it to receive the king-bolt Y, which passes down through the bottom A of the wagon-body, the

I keeper, 1), to serve as a guard and. guide to the said rear end of the tongue as it moves up and down.

The rear ends of the bars a are connected by a platefc, formed upon them, and which is placed between the lower end of the tubular washer Z and the lower bar of the axle E, and

is perforated for thepassage of the king-bolt Y.

In the top of the keeper b is formed a screw hole to receive a set-screw, d, which can be turned down to rest against the upper side of the rear end of the tongue R, and support the forward end of the said tongue above the ground. lVhen it is desired to have a drop tongue, the set-screw d is turned up.

To lugs formed upon or attached to the forward side of the ends of the lower arms E are hinged the ends of a curved bar, 0, which passes beneath the tongue B at the forward side of the keeper Q, and has a notch or recess, f, in the center of its upper edge, so that when the bar 0 is engaged with the tongue R the lateral movements of the said tongue will turn the axle E uponthe king-bolt Y.

To the center of the curved bar e is attached a pin, 9, which projects downward through a hole in the forward endof the lever h, and has a spiral spring, 45, placed upon it between the said bar 6 and the said lever h, as shown in Fig. 1. The middle part of the le ver h is fulcrumed to lugs j,formed upon or attached to the lower side of the center of the axle E. The rear part of the lever h inclines upward and rearward, and its rear end projects to the rearward horizontally, so as to pass through a slot in the lower part,D,of the fifthwheel and ente'ra slot in the upper part, 0, of the said fifth-wheel, and hold the lower part of the fifth-wheel and the axle E from turning. The rear end of the lever h works in a keeper, k, attached to the lower side of the lower part, D, of the fifth-wheel upon the opposite sides of its slot. The rear end of the lever h is held up by a spring, Z, the rear end of which is attached to the keeper h, and

' its forward end presses against the lower side of the rear part of the said lever. h.

Upon the upper edge of the rear end of the lever h rests a cross-head foot,m, which is hinged to a lever, h, and has its ends rounded,so that the said lever'h can pass beneath it readily. The rear end of the lever h is fulcrumed to the lower side of the wagon-bottom A, and its forward part is bent upward at right angles and passes up through a hole in the forward end of the bottom A, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, so that the driver can readily reach and operate the said lever with his foot. WVith this construction, when the forward end of the lever a is forced downward it forces the rear end of the lever h out of the slot in the upper part, 0, of the fifth-wheel, and forces the forward end of the said lever h upward, raising the bar 6, so that its recess f will engage with the tongue B, when the said tongue comes into line with the length of the wagon, so that the lateral movement of the tongue R will turn the lower part, D, of the fifth-wheel and the axle E. \Vhen the lever n is released, the spring Z forces up the rear end of the leverjt against the lower side of the upper part, 0, of thefifth-wheel and causes the said lever to enter the slot in the said part 0, when the tongue R comes into line with the end of the wagon, and locks the fifth-wheel and axle from turning. As the rear end of the lever h moves upward its forward end moves downward, allowing the bar 6 to drop away from the tongue R and release it, so that the lateral movement of the tongue will turn the axle-arms J upon the bolts H, and thus guide the wagon.

Having thus fully described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a wagon, the combination, with the slotted fifth-wheel O D and the axle E, of the springpressed lever h, the cross-head foot m and the foot-lever at, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the fifth-wheel and axle are locked from turning, and can be readily released, as set forth.

2. In a wagon, the combination, with the axle E, the tongue R, and the locking-lever h, of the hinged bail e and the spring i, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the said tongue will be rigidly connected with the axle when the said axle is unlocked, as set forth.

3. In a wagon, the combination, with the tongue R, the axle E, and the king-bolt Y, of the keepers Q I), the connecting-bars a, and the perforated plate 0, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the draft will be in a direct line with the whiffletrees, as set forth.

solid projection T,reeessed to receive the hammer-strap W, and the brace-rod X, substantially as herein shown and described.

LORENZO I). HURD. lVitnesses:

JAMns H. J ENNINGS, J UDsoN K. ALLEN.

4. In a wagon, the tongue-plate U, having 

